John Boehner, November 29, 2002

Throughout the year, I have frequently discussed the issue of health care in this column. Specifically, I’ve made note of what I believe to be the most pressing health care concern for employers, employees, and millions of American families: the skyrocketing costs of health insurance – and the fact that these spiraling costs leave more Americans uninsured each and every year.

According to recent figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans who have no health insurance increased to 41.2 million Americans last year - an increase of 1.4 million people. The Census Bureau also reports that an estimated 14.6 percent of the U.S. population had no health insurance coverage during all of 2001. Here in Ohio, the number of uninsured residents hovers somewhere between 1.2 and 1.5 million.

The sharp increase in the number of Americans without health coverage is an issue that demands action in Congress. It’s also a fresh reminder that excessive regulation, litigation, and government intrusion has consequences. Congress and the President must work to expand access to health coverage in a responsible manner that minimizes the role of government bureaucracy and maximizes quality and access for families.

Over the course of the next year, you’re likely to hear a number of competing ideas offered by Republicans and Democrats in Congress to address the growing problems of America’s uninsured. Many good ideas have already been put forth: for example, some propose placing caps on frivolous health care lawsuits; empowering more Americans with medical savings accounts that allow them to save more for their family health needs; and making it easier for small businesses and labor unions to purchase quality health coverage for their workers through association health plans. These are good ideas we should explore – ideas that do not rely on new federal mandates that drive up the cost of health care.

You can also expect to hear some bad ideas as well. For example, according to the November 21, 2002 edition of National Journal’s Congress Daily, some congressional Democrats plan to introduce a bill "requiring employers with five or more employees to provide 75 percent of the cost of health coverage to their employees, and that the coverage be equal to that of federal employees."

The dangers of such an approach are fairly easy to see. Most Americans who are fortunate enough to have health coverage get those benefits through their employers – benefits employers provide voluntarily. If the federal government makes it too difficult for small employers to provide such benefits, employers will simply be forced to hire fewer workers. The result: even more Americans will be left without health insurance.

Working against those who provide jobs will not result in better health care or greater security for American families. Rather, we need to work with them. In the fall, I wrote this in a letter to my House colleagues: "Instead of proposing new mandates, Congress should focus on increasing access to health care for the 41 million Americans who have no health insurance. Giving consumers more choice and more control, and better information to help them make the choices that are right for them, will help to create a more affordable, more efficient, and more desirable health system for employers and employees."

Rest assured, I will oppose shortsighted mandates such as the one reported on in Congress Daily. Instead, I will use my position as Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce to work with both Republicans and Democrats in Congress – and with the President – to focus on real solutions to this problem. We can address these skyrocketing health care costs in a bipartisan fashion without waving the white flag and imposing new mandates. It’s just a matter of having the will to do so.

Congressman John Boehner represents the 8th Congressional District of Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives.